Now, the developer is giving fans a chance to jump back into its grim, zombie-infested world with “The Walking Dead: 400 Days” ($5; Mac, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360). Leaving behind the beloved story of Lee and Clementine, “400 Days” serves as a bridge between Telltale’s previous masterpiece and its upcoming sequel.

As a teaser for Season 2, “400 Days” absolutely hits the mark. Occasional flashes of brilliance call to mind the artful writing and deep emotional impact the series has displayed in the past, and I left itching to get under way with the new adventure. As a standalone gaming experience, however, the result is a tad underwhelming.

Players experience “400 Days” through the eyes of five strangers, their stories spanning more than a year after the initial outbreak and loosely intertwined by the shared setting of a run-down diner. The segments can be played in any order, and the entire lot is tied together by an ending that will leave you craving more.

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That being said, the roughly 20-minute chapters don’t leave much time for character development.

There are moments of brutality that should be shocking, as well as moral dilemmas worthy of anguished hand-wringing. Without an established tie to these characters, however, much of the emotional weight is lifted.

The good news is that Lee’s journey improved with each episode under similar conditions, and there’s every reason to expect Season 2 to eventually convey the same heart-pounding impact of its predecessor. We simply haven’t had enough time to grow with the new cast.

Instead, these chapters begin to feel a bit predictable, with a smattering of quiet pauses amid the chaos and a moment of truth shoehorned into each. With so much backstory to deliver in such a brief setting, action is almost entirely set aside in favor of lengthy stretches of dialogue and cutscenes. You’ll bash the occasional walker and escape a close call or two, but for the most part interaction is limited to deciding how to approach each conversation.

Far more upsetting, some situations that initially appear to be open-ended seem to lead to the same inevitable conclusion, creating the illusion of choice. The jury remains out until we can see just how much of the upcoming story is altered by these decisions.

So, with character growth hindered by brevity and action slotted for a supporting role, where does “400 Days” find its redemption? Once again, it’s Telltale’s undeniably skillful writing that rides to the rescue. Once you catch a hint of one chapter linking with another -- a subtle mention here, a familiar landmark there -- and begin to piece together a jagged narrative from these five staccato stories, the developer has you hooked.

I can’t say that I particularly enjoyed my time with “400 Days,” but I haven’t been able to shake the story since setting the controller down. The difficult decisions, the unsolved mysteries and exactly how this group -- still largely strangers to the player -- moves forward make for an irresistible appetizer.

You may want to hold off on purchasing “400 Days” until Season 2’s estimated fall release draws a little closer. Right now, it serves only as a teaser for what lies in store. And you can be certain that Telltale’s best is yet to come.